Movie Urban Legends

‘The Deer Hunter’ (1978)

Several controversies arose after "The Deer Hunter" featured Robert DeNiro putting a gun to his head and pulling the trigger in an intense Russian roulette scene. Critics were upset because there are no documented instances of the Vietcong using Russian roulette with POWs during the Vietnam War, while others were insistent that the movie was inspiring real-life suicides.

The latter turned out to be true. The Louisville Courier-Journal stated that close to 40 boys and men accidentally shot themselves during "Deer Hunter"-inspired games of Russian roulette. Others studies on the trend found similar results. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Universal Pictures)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Legend: A number of unusual deaths have occurred among the cast of "Poltergeist."

True or False?: This legend is TRUE.

The plague around "Poltergeist" is hard to deny. Four of the main characters in the trilogy passed away unexpectedly, including actress Dominique Dunne, who was strangled to death by her boyfriend at the age of 22, and Heather O'Rourke, who died of septic shock at the young age of 12 following a hospital's medical error. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros.)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Legend: Many believe the "Wizard of Oz" cameras caught the on-set suicide of a dwarf actor, portraying a Lollipop Guild Munchkin, who killed himself when his affections for another Munchkin actor were not returned.

True or False?: This urban legend is FALSE.

Towards the end of the "We're Off to See the Wizard" song sequence, a swinging figure can be seen in the trees towards the right side of the screen. The invention of "pause" and "rewind" led hardcore fans to speculate about the swinging object, bringing to life the rumor of the distraught Munchkin. It has since been proven that the object in the background was in fact a large bird stretching its wings. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros.)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Legend: "The Blair Witch Project" is based on real footage shot by three students who mysteriously disappeared while making a documentary.

True or False?: This legend is FALSE.

This rumor was perpetuated to urban legend stature thanks to the movie's original marketing scheme, which claimed that the "Blair Witch" events actually occurred. Many fans were too spooked to stay for the ending credits and missed the disclaimer that clearly states that the film is not in any way based on a true story. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Artisan Entertainment)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Legend: Harrison Ford wrote his own ending to a lengthy fight scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" thanks to a horrible bout of dysentery.

True or False?: This legend is TRUE.

The cast and crew of 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark" endured blistering heat during a six-week shoot in Tunisia. Towards the end of production, star Harrison Ford developed a particularly uncomfortable case of dysentery and was more than ready to wrap on the film.

After reading a three-page fight scene in his script, Ford decided to take matters into his own hands. "Let's just shoot the [expletive]," the actor suggested to director Steven Spielberg. Spielberg agreed to scrap the rest of the scene and Ford quickly shot down the swordsman. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Lucasfilm/Paramount)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Legend: Shirley Eaton, an actress in the 1964 James Bond installment "Goldfinger," accidentally died from asphyxiation after being completely covered in thick gold paint.

True or False?: This legend is FALSE.

In the 1960s it was wrongly believed that humans breathed through their skin, and that a portion of the skin's surface needed to be left open at all times in order to survive. It was not a big surprise that this rumor took off after "Goldfinger" was released. Without easy access to the Internet to set the record straight, fans were left believing that Eaton really passed away on the set after the rumor caught fire.

The movie villain Auric Goldfinger did kill his secretary, played by Eaton, by covering her body in gold paint, but the actress certainly went on to live another day. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Eon Productions)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Legend: "Back to the Future II" correctly predicted the outcome of the 1997 World Series.

True or False?: This legend is FALSE.

This rumor began right after the Cleveland Indians beat the Florida Marlins in the 1997 World Series. A "Back to the Future" fan got his movie trivia mixed up, and incorrectly spread the rumor that the movie correctly called the winner of a World Series a whopping 12 years in advance.

In reality, "Back to the Future II" featured a radio broadcast exclaiming that the Chicago Cubs swept an unnamed Miami team in the 2015 World Series.

The legend was brought to life again in 2003 when the Cubs came close to winning the National League pennant against the Marlins. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Universal Studios)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Several controversies arose after "The Deer Hunter" featured Robert DeNiro putting a gun to his head and pulling the trigger in an intense Russian roulette scene. Critics were upset because there are no documented instances of the Vietcong using Russian roulette with POWs during the Vietnam War, while others were insistent that the movie was inspiring real-life suicides.

The latter turned out to be true. The Louisville Courier-Journal stated that close to 40 boys and men accidentally shot themselves during "Deer Hunter"-inspired games of Russian roulette. Others studies on the trend found similar results. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Universal Pictures)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

"Texas Chain Saw Massacre" producer Tobe Hopper intentionally misled audiences into believing the movie was based on a true story, saying that it was a response to people being "lied to by the government about things that were going on all over the world."

In reality, Hopper based many of the movies scenes off brutal events he saw on the local news. Filmmakers eventually admitted that the movie's events were not true, but even that didn't stop a sequel from being made. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Vortex)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Legend: One of the Bond Girls in 1981's "For Your Eyes Only" was actually born a man.

True or False?: This legend is TRUE.

Bond girl Caroline Cossey (pictured far left) was born as a man in 1954. Cossey changed her name to Caroline in the 1970s and was cast in "For Your Eyes Only" a decade later. She only appeared on screen for a few seconds, credited as "girl at pool," but that was enough for British tabloid News of the World to rip her apart. Cossey's acting and modeling career suffered greatly as a result. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.